The Pavan Group, worldwide leader in the industrial construction of food processing plants and machinery, has recently installed in the United States of America and successfully commissioned, for the multinational company Barilla, a new spaghetti production line. The “turnkey” plant achieves the complete production cycle, right from the raw materials/semolina supply up to the final palletization of the finished product. The daily production capacity is equal to 100 tons that will very soon be doubled, when a sister plant will be delivered within this year. The entire production is for the American market.

The 4.000 kg/h press - The hourly capacity of the press is 4.000 Kg . Achieved with 2 compression screws of 240 mm . diameter. All the pre-mixing, kneading and extrusion operations are achieved under vacuum (Pavan's technology), thus guaranteeing a better colour and complete sanitization of the product. The easy disassembling of the pre-mixer allows quick and rapid cleaning of each part. A number of probes control the dough temperature during all the processing, and signal eventual anomalies or discrepancies to the main system. The product after passing through the die, is spread, cut and trimmed.

How to perfectly dry the product - The pre-drying and final drying of the product are extremely delicate and utmost important processing phases, in order to obtain an optimal final product. These phases therefore require the maximum attention during the design stage. The pre-drying phase is divided in environmental zones, while the TAS (Themo Active System) consists of separate processing tiers. Both the pre-dryer and the dryer are equipped with automatic and independent air treatment stations, heat exchangers and air exhausting groups, in order to continually check the temperature and humidity in each zone. The TAS process alternates drying with intense stabilizing phases; this allows the process to maintain the product in a plastic and porous state, as well as to control at the same time, how the Maillard Reaction develops.

Quick reduction of the water content in pasta and the progressive temperature increase avoid the swelling of the starch and allow the activation of the proteinic coagulation. The result is better product colour and improved product cooking performance. Thanks to an integrated software that regulates the time length of each single phase according to the preset drying diagram, it is possible to keep constant the thermo-hygrometric conditions by transferring the humidity in excess from one zone to the other, guaranteeing uniform product processing.

Besides this, the high temperatures and the elevated ambient humidity, right from the beginning of the drying process, assure almost total product sterilization. The constructive materials are mainly stainless steel and therefore corrosion-free. The elevated degree of thermal insulation with consequent energy saving is achieved by utilizing multi-layer panels, built with insulating materials, such as expanded polyurethane. At the dryer's outlet, the product is rehydrated, cooled down, reaching stabilization with external ambient conditions; it is then stored in a 6 superimposed levels unit, with independent movement. The product is then further stripped, cut to the required dimensions, packed and ready for transportation and delivery.

Expenditures are set to zero - The changing of the product shapes has always represented a rather delicate matter and a big impact on the line's performance. Pavan has optimized the line's changeover times and the scraps generated by the change of production. The proposed solution allows the operator to recall the new pre-set shape on the display and to automatically replace the dies in less than 5 minutes. The line is set according to the new working parameters, without any manual operation. Besides this, all mechanical adjustments are avoided and the system automatically eliminates only the part of production that is not conforming. The scraps are suitably shredded and returned upstream to the press, where they are fed into the kneading tank.

Timetables are respected - When speaking of plant engineering, the line's design and test run timings are of utmost importance, since they allow the customer to respect and comply with the line's start-up schedule and beginning of production. Many times the delivery term is compromised due to a longer than foreseen assembly period. Pavan reduces the assembly time to the minimum, since it utilizes pre-assembled blocks of machinery, complete with main installations (electric wiring, water supply, compressed air etc.). This has allowed for the assembly and test run of the entire production line in record time and with full Customer's satisfaction.

Line management and real-time remote assistance - Thanks to the line's main PLC supervisor, the plant is monitored in all its processing functions. For instance, in the drying stage, the integrated software regulates the time length of each single phase according to the preset drying diagram and it is possible to keep constant the thermo-hygrometric conditions by transferring the humidity in excess from one zone to the other, guaranteeing uniform product processing. The correct dehydration of the product must take place following the preset curves and the accuracy in guaranteeing these cycles is essential, in order to obtain a product of good quality and appearance.

The software at Customer's disposal hinders even the shifting of few °C degrees during the drying cycle, thus avoiding a non-uniform colouring that would negatively affect the quality perceived by the final consumer. Besides the change of production shapes, there is the possibility to modify the recipes and the parameters of the single machines, by graphic interface of quick and easy management, through centralized control. The system also allows the storage of the historical data, it signals the scheduled maintenance messages and supplies processing and production data reports that allow the analysis of the different line performances in all types of production. Pavan's remote Telematic assistance is able to display in real-time the working parameters and the line parameters, thus allowing Pavan to remotely correct any anomalies that are not consistent with production requirements.